The rise of the Internet has given rise to an increase in the use of digital images in which to convey aspects of people. One common use of digital photos is in creating a profile on social networks. More and more commonly, social networks are used to engage in professional communications and research, as opposed to personal. For example, it is common for certain social network members to create profiles listing their professional accomplishments, in a similar manner to a resume, and to direct, invite, or at least make available to potential employers to visit the social network profile. It is becoming more and more common for the member to place some photos of themselves on such member profile.
An issue that arises with the use of photos in such a professional capacity is that it can be easy for a member to use a photo on their member profile page that is not of the highest quality, either because the photographic techniques involved in taking the photo were not of the highest quality (e.g., bad lighting, poor framing of the subject, poor shading, etc.), or because the subject matter itself was lacking in some regard (e.g., the angle of the head is unusual, the clothes worn are too casual, the background scene is too casual, etc.). These problems are often caused by the fact that many digital photos are now taken using non-professional camera equipment (e.g., a smartphone) by non-professionals (e.g., the member taking a selfie, or a friend taking a quick shot). While certain technical details of a photograph can be quantified to identify the “image quality,” it is difficult to extend the image quality to the somewhat more nebulous idea of “professionalism” of the image. For example, a photo may indeed be perfectly shot, with perfect lighting and shading, but the subject of the photo may be wearing a stained t-shirt instead of a suit and tie, or may be in a suit and tie but failing to look into the camera. It becomes even more challenging when recognizing that there are potentially an unlimited number of these small details about a photograph that can imply a professionalism level on the subject, and these unlimited number of small details can evolve over time as standards change, and can also change based on factors such as industry and location (e.g., wearing a t-shirt may be acceptably professional if the subject is a computer programmer working in Silicon Valley, but not if the subject is a financial advisor in New York).